Buddhist Attitude to Society and Social Issues

Abstract

Many people misunderstand Buddhism today thinking that Buddhism is a religion caring only for the dead and for individual liberation, and there is no social philosophy that discusses social issues and cares for human in the present life. This is due to the complexity of the Buddhist teachings and the degeneration of Buddhism in China and East Asia since the 19th to 20th centuries. I argue in this paper that the Buddhist teachings mainly focus on human beings in the present life and the society they live in for the welfare of many although it also discusses the lives in other realms in relation to human life with reference to the Pāli Nikāyas and Chinese Āgamas. The best example is the Buddhist doctrine of four noble truths that discusses the present human predicament, analyzes the very causes and offers its solution as well. The Buddhist attitude towards society is that all social issues and even international conflicts can be solved by working together through discussions and negotiations as Buddhism considers that the root causes of all social problems are human cravings, hatred and ignorance. Therefore Buddhism teaches us the five precepts, the four sublime states of mind, the four ways of winning people etc. to make peace in society and treat all people even criminals with compassion.